The Words and Music of Ice Cube (The Praeger Singer-Songwriter Collection)

155 Pages·2008·0.76 MB·English

by  Gail Hilson Woldu

T Thhee WWoorrddss aanndd
MMuussiicc ooff IIccee CCuubbee
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T P S -S C
HE RAEGER INGER ONGWRITER OLLECTION
T Thhee WWoorrddss aanndd
Music of Ice Cube
Gail Hilson Woldu
James E. Perone, Series Editor
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Woldu, Gail Hilson.
The words and music of Ice Cube / Gail Hilson Woldu.
p. cm. — (The Praeger singer-songwriter collection, ISSN 1553–3484)
Includes bibliographical references, discography, filmography and index.
ISBN 978–0–275–99043–5 (alk. paper)
1. Ice Cube (Musician) 2. Rap musicians—United States—
Biography. 3. Motion picture actors and actresses—United States—
Biography. 4. Gangsta rap (Music)—Social aspects. I. Title.
ML420.I295W66 2008
782.421649092— dc22 2008029550
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available.
Copyright © 2008 by Gail Hilson Woldu
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be
reproduced, by any process or technique, without the
express written consent of the publisher.
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2008029550
ISBN: 978–0–275–99043–5
ISSN: 1553–3484
First published in 2008
Praeger Publishers, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881
An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
www.praeger.com
Printed in the United States of America
∞
TM
The paper used in this book complies with the
Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National
Information Standards Organization (Z39.48–1984).
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
This book is dedicated to the memory of my father, Robert Collins
Hilson (1928–1989), and to my mother, Jacqueline Dixon Hilson
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Contents
Series Forewordby James E. Perone ix
Acknowledgments xi
Introduction: The Reinventions of Ice Cube xiii
1. The Cultural Politics of Gangsta Rap 1
Rap and Race 3
Nihilism for Profi t: The Dualism between Rap as
Entertainment and Gangsta Rap’s Culture of Violence 5
Gangsta Rap and Censorship 9
2. Plenty Attitude: The NWA Years, 1988–1990 15
Niggaz with Attitude 15
Public Outcry against NWA 19
Eazy Duz It —Again and Again 20
Straight Outta Compton 21
3. Early Solo Successes: 1990–1993 27
Ice Cube’s Style 28
AmeriKKKa’s Most Wanted 28
Kill at Will 33
Death Certifi cate 36
Boyz N the Hood 44
viii Contents
The Predator 45
Lethal Injection 50
Miscellany 53
An Interview with Angela Davis 54
4. Collaborations and a New Direction: 1994 –1998 57
Friday 57
Westside Connection—Bow Down 59
Anaconda 61
“We Be Clubbin’ ” 61
War and Peace, Vol. 1 (The War Disc) 62
Interviews, 1994 –1998 66
5.Actor, Producer, Director, Screenwriter,
Lyricist, Rapper: 1999–2007 77
Three Kings 78
Next Friday 80
War and Peace, Vol. 2 (The Peace Disc) 81
All about the Benjamins 84
Barbershop 85
Friday after Next 87
Westside Connection—Terrorist Threats 88
Barbershop 2: Back in Business 90
Are We There Yet? 91
Laugh Now, Cry Later 92
Are We Done Yet? 98
Conclusion 99
Discography 103
Selected Filmography (1991–2007) 111
Notes 113
Annotated Bibliography 119
Index 127